Sunday, June 15, 2014

Daddy Issues

Your dad is the one who would take you to the R-rated movie. Your father is the one who would explain it to you.
Your dad is the one who would take you fishing. Your father is the one who would get stuck at work so you couldn't go.
Your dad is the one who taught you that joke. Your father is the one who told you not to tell it in front of your mother.
Your dad is the one who bought you a paperback copy of "World According To Garp." Your father is the one who never finished it.
Your dad is the one who bought the case of beer. Your father is the one who tried to explain moderation.
Your dad is the one who took you to the amusement park. Your father is the one who worried aloud about how much it was going to cost.
I'm a dad. I'm also a father. Sometimes when I set out to be one, I turn out being the other. It's a complicated business. Anybody who tells you that it's easy probably isn't doing both jobs. It's a balancing act, and only the guys who check out completely don't have to think about it. If you're going to fall off on one side or the other, will you end up crushing your child. Probably not literally, but in ways that will only show up years later and become the driving force behind their parenting urges.
Your dad is the one who knows that everything will be just fine in the morning. Your father is the one who worries about it.